No doubt the most common question - which brand?

[BMack37]

Hitachi makes great tools, very underappreciated power tool brand in the US.

[builditguy]

I've probably had most brands.  No Hilti or Festool.  The reason is because there is no place near me that carries them.  That is my reason to not buy them.  I like to get my hands on tools before I buy them.   One time I bought a Rigid circular saw.  I wanted to give it a try and it wasn't going in my truck.  I never liked that saw.  My hand barely fit in the handle.  Just an example of why I like to handle the tools before I buy them.

 

I say buy whatever brand you feel will give you the best service after the sale.  We have almost all DeWalt now.  We bought them from Fastenal.  We have had excellent luck with service after the sale.  We had one impact go bad and one sawzall.  In both cases we took them to Fastenal, dropped them off, they called when they were fixed/replaced.  Didn't cost us a dime.  It was only about a 8 block drive out of our way.  That is worth a ton to me.

 

Sounds like you have a local tool store.  It may cost a little more to buy from them, but they will probably be there to service your tools after the sale.  Online buys won't.  Yea, its possible.  You can mail them in to a repair shop, but that's a pain.  

 

All brands have some issues.  Someone may say, go with "X" brand, "I've never had a problem."  The next guy will be the opposite.

 

I say, go with the brand that has the tools you want and buy them from a store that will back up their sales.

[dwain]

On 2/17/2017 at 0:36 PM, DrHarry said:

 It's just for home use, but I want something that will be good for the next 10 years at least

 

Why do you need the best of the best for home use? Sorry but I just dont get it. You'll have huge $$$ sitting in your shed. Much better off buying only what you need, when you need it. And why not try a DIY brand? If you spend $800 now and then $800 again in 6-7 years, you'll have much better tools at the end of your 10 years than spending $1600 now.

 

 

[Logan]

Any major brand is good Milwaukee Dewalt Mikita Bosch metabo 

 

I would highly recommend Dewalt they have been very reliable and have always done the job for me

[Claeg]

52 minutes ago, dwain said:

 

Why do you need the best of the best for home use? Sorry but I just dont get it. You'll have huge $$$ sitting in your shed. Much better off buying only what you need, when you need it. And why not try a DIY brand? If you spend $800 now and then $800 again in 6-7 years, you'll have much better tools at the end of your 10 years than spending $1600 now.

 

 

 

I have to agree with this. I have a new some Milwaukee Fuel tools, some new Ryobi, and 10-15 year old Makita. The Makita tools still work, but new Ryobi tools are just as good or better. Cordless tools are constantly changing and top of the line tools today won't be top of the line 5-7 years from now.  Perhaps the most useful advise is what you think you will use/need and what you will actually use the most are often different. I have bought a Milwaukee Fuel tool before and barely used it where as I used the heck out of the a Ryobi tool that I thought would be used sparingly. For DIY/at home/ occasional use. I would invest in a quality brushless hammer drill, a quality reciprocating saw, and quality circular saw. The cut-off tool, impact, jigsaw, multi-tool, etc usually doesn't matter too much if they are brushless or DIY grade brushed.  

[Nordraw]

4 hours ago, dwain said:

 

Why do you need the best of the best for home use? Sorry but I just dont get it. You'll have huge $$$ sitting in your shed. Much better off buying only what you need, when you need it. And why not try a DIY brand? If you spend $800 now and then $800 again in 6-7 years, you'll have much better tools at the end of your 10 years than spending $1600 now.

 

 

Mostly so you can post pictures of them on the forum and make people cry

[JimboS1ice]

Great answers, thanks guys!
 
I guess I was really looking for reasons NOT to buy, so probably haven't helped in that regard much [emoji4]  I understand what people are saying about not getting locked into one brand, so I'll just have to see how that goes.
 
Hilti and Ridgid are not options for me unfortunately.  Just not available.
 
I did look at the Ryobi stuff, but was put off my the perceived quality, not sure about a 10+ year lifespan with it.  Any thoughts on that?  Price wise, it's far far cheaper.
 
My local trade shop is going to try and compete with the online prices, and they have dewalt, milwaukee, Hitachi and Makita, so I'm going to see what they have to offer.  Milwaukee has better warranty and some bonuses at the moment, but apart from that the pricing all seems to be about the same, so I think I'll just go for the best value proposition.
 
That being said, that AEG kit looks really good.  Plus a 6 year warranty on tools is pretty good!  Just a pity there's nothing else brushless in their line up.  
 
Decisions decisions!

Dude your in the wrong forum if your looking for advice not to buy something ha ha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Foneguy]

NOT to buy ....?????????????  WTF .... I'm confused    LOL

[Jronman]

@DrHarry Well for starters no brand is necessarily "bad" each one may have pros and cons. To answer your question I wouldn't buy Black and Decker, Ryobi, or any other "cheap" or "homeowner's" or "diy" brand. They just aren't upto spec with pro brands. I wouldn't go with Milwaukee even thought its a really good brand because their high demand line consists of only 18v tools. High demand tools in my opinion should be at least 36v or 54v tools. Higher voltage is arguably more efficient in high demand situations.  I know you said don't suggest what to buy but that AEG brushless set @rbacon705 suggested might be a nice option it has some of what your are looking for in brushless even except I am unaware of a high demand option from AEG. The limited edition design looks awesome if looks means anything to ya. I would pick one brand and stick with it at least for starters then venture to other brands if you see the need. 

[DrHarry]

So I thought about what people are saying, there's some really good points.

 

I could definitely spend less money and get Ryobi say, but the Ryobi kit is $800 and only has 2 batteries and no reciprocating saw or rotary hammer drill.  I could get a non brushless kit from Makita/AEG/Dewalt for around $1000-$1200, but again, not having all the tools.

 

From what I can see, I'm not paying that much more to get the 6 tools I need (plus maybe some bonus tools) plus extra batteries in a top of the line kit.  It's probably $500 extra, for a lot more capacity.

 

And  yes, you're right it's probably a bit silly to pay so much now, but I have a business that will be buying the tools, not me personally, so that's part of the motivation.

 

I think I've got the answers I need from here, I'll just have to go to the local trade shop and see what they can do for me.  I'll report back!

[Kale]

I am a huge Milwaukee fan but not saying they are amazing and the absolute best! I would say go with what fits you. If your just using it around the house for little projects here and there then you probly don't need the top of the line tools. Dewalt, Milwaukee, ridgid, makita,etc all has a pretty high price point but there also made for the working man who picks them up everyday. But always look down the road if you see you want more then a sawzall, drill, and impact see what else the manufacture offers like me I am a plumber Milwaukee 12v line up absolutely dominates everyone else's line up for plumbing they have so many things. But hell not everyone is a plumber lol in the end just go with something reliable a great price point and a extra bonus is having a store around that will fix it if it breaks! Good luck 

[rbacon705]

@DrHarry If u were to change your mind about Ryobi, their rotary hammer isn't very powerful. Although it is rated to 16mm, the best I can do into brick in 12mm

[JimboS1ice]

Big combos aren't always the most valued, yea you get a bunch of tools but they are not always the higher end if that's what your looking for and you usually only get two batteries, what good is that for 6 tools? I would try to be patient and start with a drill and impact kit and work your way into the line


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[fm2176]

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 8:29 AM, dwain said:

 

Why do you need the best of the best for home use? Sorry but I just dont get it. You'll have huge $$$ sitting in your shed. Much better off buying only what you need, when you need it. And why not try a DIY brand? If you spend $800 now and then $800 again in 6-7 years, you'll have much better tools at the end of your 10 years than spending $1600 now.

 

I partially agree, buying only what is needed for the task at hand might be smart for some people--especially those on a tight budget.  In a way, I almost wish I'd have switched to Ryobi...

 

On the flip side, if you are like me and hate not having the right tool for the job, it doesn't hurt to spend more for more right now.  More money, yes, but also more power, more features, and often more run time or watt-hours.  Ryobi, Porter Cable, and other DIY brands top out at 4 Ah batteries, while DeWalt and Milwaukee both offer 9 Ah options.  Not to mention, buying smart (in the US, combing Home Depot after holiday sales can usually result in outstanding deals, and clearance deals are occasionally found) whether you need something or not can help build an impressive array of cordless tools for much less than retail price. 

 

 

[dwain]

7 hours ago, fm2176 said:

On the flip side, if you are like me and hate not having the right tool for the job, it doesn't hurt to spend more for more right now.  More money, yes, but also more power, more features, and often more run time or watt-hours.  Ryobi, Porter Cable, and other DIY brands top out at 4 Ah batteries, while DeWalt and Milwaukee both offer 9 Ah options.

 

But there's nothing stopping the OP from buying the tool for the job as it comes up. And how often is a 4Ah battery kit going come up short for a DIY homeowner?!?!

 

I'm just reminding the OP that the DIY segment exists for a reason. Or maybe not even DIY, but maybe the cheaper, brushed variants from a trade brand...

[fm2176]

33 minutes ago, dwain said:

 

But there's nothing stopping the OP from buying the tool for the job as it comes up. And how often is a 4Ah battery kit going come up short for a DIY homeowner?!?!

 

I'm just reminding the OP that the DIY segment exists for a reason. Or maybe not even DIY, but maybe the cheaper, brushed variants from a trade brand...

 

You have a good point which is easy to ignore by those of us who spoil ourselves.  For many homeowners, just having a cordless drill is a luxury.  We don't all need brushless drills, impacts, screwdrivers, screwguns, and so on. 

[rrmccabe]

48 minutes ago, fm2176 said:

  For many homeowners, just having a cordless drill is a luxury.  We don't all need brushless drills, impacts, screwdrivers, screwguns, and so on. 

 

Shhhhh.  My wife might find this forum. You do know it takes a laser level, TOTL drill/driver and Woodpeckers ruler just to hang a picture right?

[ChrisK]

16 minutes ago, rrmccabe said:

 

Shhhhh.  My wife might find this forum. You do know it takes a laser level, TOTL drill/driver and Woodpeckers ruler just to hang a picture right?

My wife keeps telling me to buy Festools!!! I guess I took this to heart early on

[rrmccabe]

Cindy loves the Festool stuff.  When I built my house I custom ordered the windows with the correct jamb width to fit my 6" walls and extra foam insulation on the exterior.  Marvin Windows screwed up the order and made all the jambs 9/16" to wide. It was "my fault" because I signed off on it even though they had the print and quoted them wrong.

 

The option was to send them back which would delay the house build by about 5 weeks, not to mention they wanted us to pay the shipping and modification cost. Just wasn't an option...

 

Track saw to the rescue!  Contractors brought the windows and doors into the garage one at a time and I ripped them down. The cut was as clean as the factory cut. The jambs were pin nailed and I cut a dozen pins but did not care. In the end I dont think the blade was damaged at all.

[Bremon]

1 hour ago, rrmccabe said:

 

Shhhhh.  My wife might find this forum. You do know it takes a laser level, TOTL drill/driver and Woodpeckers ruler just to hang a picture right?

 

1 hour ago, ChrisK said:

My wife keeps telling me to buy Festools!!! I guess I took this to heart early on

 

If you're passionate about your hobbies, and one happens to be power tools, then yeah, premium tools can be an enjoyable luxury. I make money off of maybe 10% of my tool collection at the moment. The rest of it either saves me money by letting me fix/maintain my stuff myself, or or just brings me joy in building things I could otherwise buy but gives me a sense of fulfillment and achievement accomplishing on my own. I could do a number of things I currently do with less expensive tools. 

 

I can appreciate and understand the sentiments from you guys; the boss of the house hears about tools enough that she forced the FlexVolt mitre purchase just to shut me up. She's sanded and refinished our dining set, so can appreciate proper dust extraction; she's encouraging an upcoming CT Midi purchase lol. And you can be sure that when I hung the DIY shelf in the entrance her aunt built for us, a Stabila level, a brushless nailer, brushless drill, and brushless impact came out lol. Overkill? Sure. Enjoyable? Hell yeah.

 

DIY brands don't get recommended here that often because it's an enthusiast forum. Brushed offerings from the big 3 is the lowest cost I'd opt for; it keeps many options open for bare tool purchases in the future. If we were on a PC or home theatre enthusiast forum you'd hear similar sentiments; recommendations for maximum performance and longevity for the best value; not the peak price that's outdated in a couple years, but certainly not entry level stuff that's outdated the moment it leaves the store lol. And if this was a car or truck enthusiast forum the recommendations would be even worse because it would be nonstop recommendations for the absolute top stuff because "you deserve it" haha.

 

We are so crazy for tools around here that our perspective of what's considered "entry level" or "budget" might be a bit skewed! Also to be considered is how outrageous AUD prices are: CAD dollar is on par but my wage would need to jump about 60% for me to consider having the same collection I currently have if I was from Oz rather than a Canuck.

[JMG]

@Bremon Not all of the lack of recommendations for DIY grade tools are due to enthusiasm for a particular branding. I simply cannot recommend either Hitachi or Ryobi due to personal experience with them. While they may have some tools that will fill the need for some type of light duty use, I had only one item from Hitachi not wear out early in its life, from general to hard use over the time I owned them, and it was an industrial grade item that had a few quirks one would not normally find on other brands. All of the other units I purchased from those brands wore out, in some form or other, in comparatively short time frames compared to the  brands I currently maintain. These were mostly corded variants as the cordless systems we now enjoy were not generally available when I had purchased them, but the lack of longevity or abrasive noise levels in those tool brands has never fostered the feeling of comfort needed to be able to make a recommendation for their purchase when asked.

 

I started using Makita when they first offered a 7.2v battery drill in the early eighties and outside of the lack of power in the early offerings, I never had any issues that could make me not recommend the brand. I have had multiple of their corded items and just recently gave a thirty plus year old miter saw to my brother and he was very happy to get it. It has yet to be rebuilt and was probably the most used tool I ever purchased. I just did not need it any more, as I am no longer running a business with a need for multiples of tools and have been cutting the cord across the board, as it were. Milwaukee corded tools were a mainstay as well, early in my career. I still have the first circular saw I ever purchased and it is still in great working order too. From personal experience, I can only recommend tools that have stood the test of time, and consider them to be a less expensive purchase for the long term, over lower cost for a short period of time one might experience using a DIY brand tool.

[Bremon]

I've heard nothing but praise for Hitachi nailers, mitre saws, and lately their li-ion cordless tools. 

 

That said, I understand where you're coming from but I don't think the majority of today's tools can be looked at as 30 year tools.

 

I also spend money on things I think will last because amortized over its useful life it's generally far less expensive. 

[JMG]

3 minutes ago, Bremon said:

I've heard nothing but praise for Hitachi nailers, mitre saws, and lately their li-ion cordless tools. 

Out of those three items, I only have experience with one of their miter saws, and it required replacement parts early in its career, and while the operation was smooth during the first few months of use, it rapidly degraded into a rougher/course feel after that and the noise level of the motor increased along with vibration to the point that it was only used when absolutely necessary. It is another one of those tools that my brother took off my hands, cause hey, it was free... He was also the person who caused it to need replacement parts back then too.

[D W]

I am a DIY user but I try to shop smart and buy pro grade when they are discounted. The main reasons are Ryobi are overpriced in Australia (sometimes more expensive) and the other DIY offerings (B&D, Rockwell, Worx, Ozito power X etc) are either poor quality or limited in range and availability (and who knows whether you can get replacement batteries a few years down the track).

 

DIY grade tools don't just wear out faster, they are often more likely to fail completely and unexpectedly.

 

Paying more to buy pro is also partly a safety choice.

 

I don't drill very often but recently I had a cheap drill bit snap. I was holding the steel nearby and because I was pushing down onto the drill when the bit snapped, the drill suddenly lunged forward and I ended up drilling a 4mm whole into my finger with the remainder of the bit. I can no longer completely bend that finger anymore. If I was using pro grade bits perhaps the injury could have been avoided. I've also had many cheap DIY spanners break. Even though I don't undo bolts daily, I just need to know that they will be safe to use a couple of times a year.

[pancing]

On 2/19/2017 at 9:00 PM, BMack37 said:

Just a friendly reminder that he's in Australia, not everything will be the same brand-wise or lineups.

They're pretty similiar, I go there every year, tbh they have everything we have except theirs cost 2x or 3x more.

Just different model numbers.